It began with a communal statement from none less than Bihar’s Deputy CM, Sushil Modi who rather brazenly suggested that it was Muslim votes that defeated BJP in Araria, making it worse by saying that this region will now become the hub of ‘terrorism.’ Several BJP leaders have followed suit, spewing venom at minorities. All through, Nitish Kumar, who once spoke of a ‘Sangh Mukt Bharat’, remained silent.
Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) President Nitish Kumar’s ‘inner voice’ had not so long back led him to set aside the mandate given by the people of Bihar in 2015 assembly elections and ditch the the RJD-JDU-Congress Mahagathbandhan. Today that voice has gone silent.
As it became clear on Wednesday, March 14 that the Bharatiya Janata Party was heading for a defeat at the hands of the Rashtriya Dal candidate in Araria, Bihar’s BJP Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi put out a patently communal tweet. Modi said that minority votes in two minority-dominated assembly segments in Araria enabled RJD’s Sarfaraz Alam to win.
BJP Union minister Giriraj Singh echoed Modi’s views and was quoted by Times of India as saying that BJP’s defeat would mean that Araria would now become a “hub of terrorism”.
Before the bypoll elections, Bihar BJP chief Nityanand Rai had gone to the extent of warning that Araria would become an ISI den if RJD won, for which he was booked by Bihar Police against a complaint.
Though Nitish is mum, the RJD Leader of Opposition in Bihar Tejashwi Prasad Yadav has led the charge against the communal fulminations of the BJP leaders.
Now on Friday, March 16 morning, BJP MP Gopal Narayan Singh added his own bigoted views. “Have been raising this issue since long that Kishanganj, Katihar & Araria (all in Bihar) are slowly turning into Pakistan but govt’s inaction, thinking & vote bank-politics has pushed Bihar towards the brim of destruction,” said the Rajya Sabha member.
Now on Friday, March 16 morning, BJP MP Gopal Narayan Singh added his own bigoted views. “Have been raising this issue since long that Kishanganj, Katihar & Araria (all in Bihar) are slowly turning into Pakistan but govt’s inaction, thinking & vote bank-politics has pushed Bihar towards the brim of destruction,” said the Rajya Sabha member.
Is it any wonder that communal incidents are on the rise in Bihar, under such a helpless Chief Minister?